Geoff Cripps

The UK Government seems to have double standards when it comes to Wales. They seem to be arguing that more powers for Wales is predicated on them being devolved to a more local level than the Welsh Government. There are some clear inconsistencies here and it’s hard not draw the conclusion that Welsh devolution is being viewed completely through an English lens. Let’s analyse three of these inconsistencies. 1. -- The inconsistency between Greater Manchester’s treatment and Wales -- There is barely any difference between the population of Greater Manchester and Cymru in terms of the number of people. Yet Burnham is not saying that further powers for Greater Manchester’s mayor have to be predicated on them being immediately given to Stockport, Rochdale or Oldham. 2. -- Welsh devolution has infinitely more legitimacy than the Manchester mayoralty -- It’s incredibly galling that Welsh devolution is treated the same as devolution in Manchester. The people of Wales have twice voted for Welsh devolution. First to establish it, and then to give it more powers. In 2012, the people of Manchester voted against having a mayor by 53/47% (less than a quarter of people bothered to turnout). It was eventually created without a referendum in 2015. But more than anything, Wales is a nation! We have an elected Parliament. We have a language and culture. That Senedd is more reflective of the people of Wales than 32 Welsh MPs in a Parliament of 650 based in London elected under first-past-the-post. Perhaps nothing sums up how many in Burnham’s Government don’t really accept this reality like the (now deleted) post by Labour MP for Rhondda and Ogmore Chris Bryant. Responding to the First Minister saying that, as local Government is devolved, it was for Senedd (not Westminster) to decide how further devolution went forward, Mr Bryant said: "Might it not also be a matter for the people of Wales?" When you think about it, this is the embodiment of how many around Burnham see Welsh devolution. He simply does not view the Senedd as reflective of the people of Wales in the same way he does the UK Parliament. It would be unthinkable that he would quote a UK Government post which said that “what happens in the UK is a matter for the UK Parliament” and respond “might it not also be a matter for the people of the UK?”. Whatever Burnham’s instincts regarding devolution, the scepticism among many Labour MPs (including Welsh ones) towards more devolution to the Senedd is very deep. 3. -- Regional empowerment in Wales is totally different to England -- It would be folly for the UK Government to try and impose a regional economic model designed for England on Wales. Former Welsh Labour Gov minister Lee Waters made the point that what UK Labour are looking to bring in for English regions is simply not comparable to Wales. He said: “The term ‘region’ in an English context typically refers to an area covering between 1.5 and 3 million people. In Wales, regions cover much less dense areas. The Swansea Bay City Region captures some 700,000 people, and similarly North Wales around 690,000 people. In Mid-Wales sheep outnumber people by 7:1. Only the Cardiff City region is comparable to English tiers, and even then at the lower end: around 1.5 million people “Transposing an English mayoral worldview onto a very different political geography just doesn’t work. Wales may be a similar population size to the PMs old manor but that’s where the parallel ends.” UK Labour are seeking to impose a level of localism on Wales that they are not suggesting for England. A cynic might suggest this is because they are no longer in power in Cardiff Bay... You can read a full break down of this in my news letter (see pinned tweet).